Graeme Manuel-Jones

[Scene is a kitchen - a middle aged woman called JANET is boiling peas at the stove. A younger more colourfully dressed woman named LIZ approached her.] JANET: Ugh... LIZ: What's up? JANET: I am so bored of cooking peas! LIZ: Have you tried... AI peas? JANET: AI peas? LIZ: They're peas with AI! [Liz holds up to us a packet of peas labelled: Pea-i AI - Peas with AI]. LIZ: Al-powered peas harness the potential of your peas JANET: What LIZ [Now a voiceover as we cut to a whizzy technology diagram of peas all connected by meaningless dotted lines] Why not take your peas to the next level with Al Peas' new Al tools to power your peas? [Show a techno diagram of a pea with a label reading 'AI' pointing to a random zone in it] LIZ: Each pea has Al in a way we haven't quite worked out yet but it's fine [Show Janet and Liz now in a Matrix-style world of peas] LIZ: With Al peas you can supercharge productivity and make AI work for your peas! JANET: What LIZ: Shut up LIZ: Our game-changing Pea-Al gives you the freedom to unlock the potential of the power of the future of your peas workflow From opening the bag of peas to boiling the peas to eating the peas To spending millions on adding Al to the peas and then having to work out what that even means. JANET: Is it really necessary to- LIZ [Grabbing Janet by the collar]: THE PEAS HAVE GOT AI, JANET [Cut to an advert ending screen, with the bag of peas and the slogan: AI PEAS: Just 'Peas' for god's sake buy the AI peas. [Ends]

Every ad now

Thatcher’s right to buy policy - here’s the cost: losses to us all of £194bn and a fractured society | David Madden #SocialHousing www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The Charity Digital Skills Report - Charity Digital Skills Report The Charity Digital Skills Report is the annual barometer of charities’ digital skills, attitudes and behaviours.

Great to see the 2025 Charity Digital Skills Report published today: charitydigitalskills.co.uk - so many interesting insights from 672 contributors, including on AI adoption, strategy, funding and more. Happy to share the story of how we @booktrust.org.uk transformed our website. #CharityDigiReport

This #FosterCareFortnight, we're giving you a peek at the contents of the first #StoryExplorers kit!

Story Explorers has been specially designed to support foster, kinship and adoptive families by embedding sharing stories at home - find out more:

www.booktrust.org.uk/how-we-help/... #FCF25

Frank holding a book in front of a group of children at the nursery as one reaches forward to touch it

Frank sharing a story with a girl at the nursery

Frank holding the Reading Rights report while a group of children sit on the floor of the nursery holding books

We’ve had a wonderful time joining @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social at Edith Kerrison nursery in London to launch the #ReadingRights report - and share a story, of course!

It’s been so inspiring hearing how the nursery embeds reading in their practice - and supports families to share stories.

Shared reading boosts brain development, bonding, wellbeing, school readiness & community connection 📖

We’re proud to support the #ReadingRights report from @booktrust.org.uk & Frank Cottrell-Boyce, exploring how we can ensure no child misses out on reading as a part of daily life👇
buff.ly/8DsRtOr

What a glorious advocate Frank Cottrell Boyce is for the power and impact for reading in children, whether being told a story or are reading themselves. The cognitive and health benefits are vast, and Frank talks with measured passion. Make this man available on the NHS #R4today

“We’re a storytelling species…if we lose that, we lose our humanity!”

Frank Cottrell-Boyce once again on the power of books and influence on our children!

#r4today

"If we vacate that space - that space where human love slows the world down and makes it a bit more navigable - we will cede it to something that is not human, that will not slow down. Something that, in place of calm and connection, produces anxiety and fury."

The front cover of the Reading Rights report plus the words: "Reading Rights - Books build a brighter future - Read the report". The URL booktrust.org.uk/readingrights and logos for Waterstones Children's Laureate, Arts Council England, and BookTrust

📢 NEW: Our #ReadingRights report with Waterstones #ChildrensLaureate @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social is out now!

It shares 5 focus areas that will turn the tide on reading inequality and unveils plans for our City of Stories place-based pilot:

www.booktrust.org.uk/about-us/rea...

Next week, we'll be launching our interim #ReadingRights report with Waterstones #ChildrensLaureate @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social.

The report is all about making early shared reading a universal experience, because every child should have access to its life-changing benefits.

Stay tuned!

This is absolutely genuine from Tom, can recommend all of these books and they also make brilliant gifts - which is why I hope he still has some left!

An infographic showing the generational cycles of reading. In the middle are the words "Successive generations enjoy the benefits of reading." This is surrounded by a circle of interlinked arrows reading "Adults enjoy reading", "Families read together", "Children enjoy reading", and "Children develop a reading habit"

Shared reading has lifelong benefits.

But our research shows that children whose parents or carers like reading themselves are more likely to develop a love of reading.

That's why it's so important we support families to share stories together:

www.booktrust.org.uk/resources/fi...

A very important distinction made by @teresacremin.bsky.social between reading instruction and RfP right at the start of the @uklitassociation.bsky.social/ @openuniversity.bsky.social conference today. Both sides are important but distinct #OURfPConf

This is so so true. The community building. The creation of connection. The strengthening of trust. No matter whether they are about housing cats or documenting local history- charities ALWAYS create additional social value.

We love #WorldBookDay - but it's so important that every child has the opportunity to discover the life-changing benefits of reading all year round.

That's why our brilliant Waterstones #ChildrensLaureate @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social created the #ReadingRights campaign 👇

bit.ly/4io0Lyv

A photo of a child looking through a box of books - it's in close-up so we only see their hands rifling through the books. Plus a quote from Bennet, training facilitator for Kinship: "Having a book that's yours to keep is an anchor"

We know how important it is for children to have books of their own that they can return to time and time again.

That's why we're proud to have partnered with @worldbookdayuk.bsky.social to distribute 87,450 early years tokens across England, Wales and Northern Ireland! 📚#WorldBookDay

A photo of a baby in a hospital crib plus a quote: "One thing parents can always do, no matter how sick their baby is is talk to them... a book makes things a lot easier"

#WorldBookDay is coming up this week - and it's never too early to start sharing stories with babies.

Here's how children's physiotherapist Fiona has used #Bookstart Baby to support families in a neonatal unit - and how reading has helped them to bond:

www.booktrust.org.uk/news-and-fea...

It's #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek - and Waterstones #ChildrensLaureate @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social is a passionate believer that reading can help to overcome the "happiness recession" facing children today.

Find out about his #ReadingRights campaign here:

www.booktrust.org.uk/what-we-do/c...

A photo of Helen Rutter sitting on a sofa and the front cover of Me And My Brian

It's #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek - and author Helen Rutter believes stories about mental health, navigating difficult situations, and building strength and resilience can be a big support for young readers.
Here, she recommends some to try:
www.booktrust.org.uk/news-and-fea...

A photo of a woman and child sharing a book plus the words: "Shared reading reduces parental stress". Plus the source: Canfield, C. F., Miller, E. B., Shaw, D. S., Morris, P., Alonso, A., & Mendelsohn, A. L. (2020). Beyond language: Impacts of shared reading on parenting stress and early parent–child relational health. Developmental psychology, 56(7), 1305.

It's #ParentMentalHealthDay, but did you know shared reading can have a positive impact on parents and carers as well as children?

Research shows it reduces parental stress, enabling carers to provide the sensitive, nurturing interactions their children need 👇

www.booktrust.org.uk/what-we-do/i...

We are passionate about the vital work of health visitors in supporting families and as key partners of our #Bookstart Baby programme.

We echo calls for investment to recruit, train and equip health visitors so that children can have the best start in life.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce smiling while listening to a story time session plus the words: "Reading Rights Summit 2025: The Reading Rights summit is today!" And logos for Waterstones Children's Laureate, Reading Rights, and BookTrust

📢 The #ReadingRights summit with Waterstones #ChildrensLaureate @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social is today!

We're excited to be joined by expert voices across a range of sectors to ensure the life-changing benefits of children's reading are taken seriously:

www.booktrust.org.uk/news-and-fea...

Frank Cottrell-Boyce: Children's happiness at risk due to decline in reading for pleasure The children's laureate says a

"It's easy to get depressed about the situation, but there's a huge amount of happiness and optimism to be drawn on."

Here's another super #ReadingRights interview with @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social 👇

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

www.bluey.tv/blog/bluey-l... What a dream team-up! #lego #bluey

The best children's books of 2024, chosen by top authors and illustrators Get top tips and recommendations on which children's books from 2024 to read - from top authors and illustrators.

We're in the final few hours of 2024 so we need to know... what's the best children's book you read this year?

We couldn't possibly pick just one, so we asked top authors and illustrators to do it instead 👇

www.booktrust.org.uk/news-and-fea...

If you got any book tokens for Christmas, make sure you spend them at an independent bookshop. Here's a map with links to over 250 that are either children's bookshops or have very good children's sections.

“When things are bad, you have a duty to be hopeful. I hope that failure at the top will inspire a hunger for real change from the rest of us.”

The new children's laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce looks forward to 2025, and finds reason for hope

https://buff.ly/49SAkho

Frank Cottrell-Boyce in a Christmas jumper reading The Gruffalo on a trip to a family event in a prison.

Did you hear Waterstones #ChildrensLaureate @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social guest editing the Today Programme this morning?

If you want to find out more about Frank's #ReadingRights campaign and what he's getting up to during his time as #ChildrensLaureate, head this way👇

bit.ly/4goxoLH

Frank Cottrell-Boyce speaking at today's Arts Council England event

Our CEO @dianajgerald.bsky.social & Director of Children's Books Lizzie Catford joined @artscouncilengland.bsky.social and Waterstones #ChildrensLaureate @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social at parliament today to discuss the role of the arts in breaking down barriers to opportunity for children. (1/4) 🧵